


Darkest Hour

by fallingintoimagination, maddierose



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Assassination Plot(s), Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Memory Loss, Sex, Villains to Heroes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:47:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24179926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingintoimagination/pseuds/fallingintoimagination, https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddierose/pseuds/maddierose
Summary: When the Serpent Squad are tasked with taking down the rogue Steve Rogers during the rise of HYDRA, worlds collide, and two women - heiress turned criminal Ophelia Stane and notorious HYDRA interrogator Olivia Andrews - discover terrible truths and moral dilemmas that will forever change them. Steve/OC; Bucky/OC.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s), Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s)





	1. Prologue

**Warnings: violence**

_ 1943 _

_ Drip. Drip. Drip. _

The sound of the water splashing down on the concrete floor reverberated around the otherwise silent room. It was entirely concrete without a window in sight, and a steel door connecting the dark room to the outside world. The young woman lay on a bed in the corner of the room, brown eyes fixed to the ceiling as she listened to the sound of the water dripping from the pipe at the base of a small sink.

It had been hours since she’d given up struggling against the leather straps that restrained her against the bed. Thoughts and voices swirled through her mind. Time ticked on, and she no longer knew if she’d been there hours or days. If it weren’t for the machines beside her bed, the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears would’ve driven her to insanity.

She glanced at the door as the metal gears ground together through the quiet room, the door squeaking on rusted hinges as a man in his early thirties in a black suit entered the room.

“Miss Andrews. It’s wonderful to see that you’re awake.” She could hear the slight accent in voice as he looked over the machines that were hooked up to her on either side of the bed. “How’re you feeling?”

_ Andrews… _

The name was familiar to the young woman, but each time she tried to grasp the thought, it moved away from her. Her eyes darted around the room, hoping that there was something there that would help her troubled mind.

“Confused.”

“That’s to be expected. You have undergone some rather extreme tests.” The man pulled up a chair, sitting down and clasping his hands in his lap. “My name is Leighton.”

“What is my name?” The question slipped out of her mouth before she was able to stop it. Part of her was screaming to stay quiet and not speak to Leighton, but the other part of her swirled with curiosity.

Leighton leaned back in the chair, watching her intently. “Olivia.”

“Olivia…” The name sounded foreign on her tongue, but she didn’t disbelieve him. What reason would he have to lie to her about her name? “Where am I? What happened?”

“Your questions will be answered in time. You were in an unfortunate accident.” He smiled as he spoke the words, though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Go back to sleep. I will collect you in the morning.”

Leighton got to his feet, fixing his suit and glancing around the room. She could see the disgust flick across his features for a split second, but she did not know if it was directed towards her or the room. She went back to staring at the ceiling as he left. She had no memory of any accidents, in fact, she felt as if she had no memory of anything. Perhaps she was suffering amnesia from a severe case of PTSD, or perhaps there was simply nothing her mind found to be worth remembering.

* * *

The lock on the door clicked shut as Leighton slid the bars across. He had not expected the experiment to go as well as it had, and it was a miracle that the young woman had survived the serum. When her mother had brought her in to be medically examined, she had been unstable emotionally and looked weak physically, leading Leighton to wonder why Zola had chosen her for the experiment. He supposed that her weakness would work in their favour, making her easier to manipulate and control should she get out of hand.

“Your little pet is awake.” He announced as he strode into Zola’s office. He didn’t bother knocking, as Zola was used to him coming and going. Leighton was often monitoring the progress of his experiments.

“How does she look? Was the serum successful?” Zola questioned him. He was yet to visit the young woman, but already had a list of questions he desired to ask her. Especially in regards to her former life, to see how well the serum had erased her memories from her mind.

Leighton sat down in one of the lavish leather chairs, crossing his legs and resting his clasped hands on his knee.

“It seems to have been. She may need to undergo further experimentation to ensure that she remains obedient.”

“She shall begin training when she is able. You will have your soldier soon enough.” Zola assured him as he handed him a glass of brandy. “She will be of great use to us.”

“As many of your experiments are.” Leighton smiled tightly, raising the glass. “Hail HYDRA.”

* * *

_ 2014 _

Azra Mulligan rarely regretted stealing things. He was, after all, a master thief by occupation. However, he was beginning to think that his latest steal had been extremely bad idea, considering his pursuers. Azra hadn’t really thought the item of much value, some development-stage weapon. He hadn’t tested it, but that wasn’t his forte. All he needed to do was market the product.

Unfortunately, this particular theft had gained the attention of a group that Azra recognised all too well. Anyone working in the criminal underground knew about the Serpent Squad. They were a trio of mercenaries and arms dealers, always dressed in all black with helmets to disguise their true identities.

Slipping around the corner and into an abandoned warehouse, Azra removed his phone from his pocket with fumbling fingers. If he could just make a call, then maybe this theft would be worth the danger he was now in. Clearly the object in his possession was worth more than he’d ever imagined, which just meant it would fetch a higher price.

Something caught Azra’s wrist as he raised his phone, and he looked down to see a metallic whip coiled around his arm. With one savage yank, the phone clattered to the ground and Azra along with it. Scrambling to push himself up, Azra looked wildly around as the Serpent Squad closed in on him.

He’d never met them before.

One of them was significantly taller than the other two, certainly a bit over six feet, with broader shoulders. He brought up the rear, lingering in the shadows like he was content to let the others do the hard work. His arms were folded over his chest, and there was no doubt in Azra’s mind that behind the tinted visor, he was watching his every move.

The one with the whip was leaner, built like a runner. With a flick of his wrist, the whip snapped back into his grip. It was clear that he knew how to use the weapon with a lethal efficiency, and he was definitely making no move to put the whip away.

The smallest stalked toward Azra. His small and slight build made Azra think he might be young, a teenager perhaps. Yet the way the other two simply watched made it clear that the small one was in charge here.

“Do you know who we are?” The words came out low and harsh, warped by a voice distorter. If the small one was a kid, Azra would never know. Combined with the helmets, the Serpents were utterly unrecognisable. He could have met them before and never thought twice.

“Yes.” Azra’s palms were sweating now. “The Serpent Squad.”

“Very good. I’m Cobra, and these are my friends, Eel…” The one with the whip. “…and Viper.” The tall one.

“I know what you’re here for.” Azra tried to keep his tone level. He was just a thief. There was risk in what he did, but no real danger. “I could do you a deal for it.”

Cobra laughed. The sound was disconcerting due to the distortion. He could hear the emptiness in the noise. Although Azra was taller than Cobra, that didn’t stop the guy from freaking him out.

“I don’t think so. You don’t even know what it is you have, do you?”

“Some kind of weapon.” Azra attempted to sound confident, yet even could hear himself faltering. One of the others chuckled softly, but he couldn’t tell which. “Look…here.”

He was not usually the sort to handle over such things, but Azra didn’t think this weapon was worth his life. These people had made an effort to hunt him down, so clearly they wanted it – badly. He reached into his pocket, however he yelped when Eel’s whip lashed around his wrist. This time it was crackling with electricity, searing Azra as he shouted in pain.

“No funny business, Azra. Viper, remove the weapon.”

At Cobra’s command, Viper strode over and took out the weapon, a tiny device that could easily fit in his gloved hand. Eel didn’t relinquish the whip even as Azra hissed curses under his breath. It was only once Viper moved across to Cobra and handed him the device that Eel flicked off the electricity and withdrew the whip, making Azra stumble again.

“Do you know who this belonged to?”

Azra shook his head fervently.

“Idiot. You steal things without knowing what they are and who owned them? You’re possibly the most incompetent thief I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.”

“Then tell me,” Azra challenged, Cobra’s insults stinging him into boldness.

Reaching up with his free hand, Cobra’s fingers caught the underside of the helmet, yanking it over his head. Azra’s stomach twisted in anticipation as he realised he was about to discover the identity of at least one of the Serpent Squad. Either Cobra was a fool, or he didn’t believe Azra would be getting out of this alive.

She, Azra mentally corrected himself. Because Cobra was not a man at all, but a young woman, probably in her early twenties. Dark chocolate brown hair spilled out from the helmet and down past her shoulders. A pretty face with devious grey-blue eyes and a mocking smile tugging the corners of her lips. The feared Cobra was just a girl. An oddly familiar girl.

“Cobra,” Viper warned, but she ignored him.

“This is a sonic taser, and it belonged to Obadiah Stane, before his death.” Her voice was very different now, without the distortion. Suddenly Azra realised exactly who she was – her statement paired with her familiarity gave it away.

After Obadiah’s death, his son Ezekiel had taken control of the family assets – and accomplished a very successful business of his own. On the surface, Ezekiel was a major game-changer for weapons and arms development, but there were whispers that he had some shady associations.

In his mid-forties, Ezekiel also had two kids of his own – Ophelia and Cassio. Ophelia was like her dad and enjoyed the spotlight, a known socialite. Cassio was young, still in high school, but people said he favoured his mum – she’d been a university lecturer on literature, hence her children’s Shakespearian names.

This young woman didn’t seem the type who attended social functions and flirted and drank expensive cocktails. There was a cold steel to her smile that made Azra certain that Ophelia was not the careless party girl the tabloids portrayed her as. He opened his mouth to state her name, but she pressed a finger to her lips. Something told Azra that the men with her weren’t quite as observant and likely didn’t know who she really was.

“I go by Cobra in these circles.” She glanced over her shoulder at the men behind her, giving them a curt nod. Reaching into her pocket, she fished out some ear plugs and put them in her ears. “Wanna see what this can do?”

“No, wait,” Azra protested, but it was already too late. Ophelia pressed a button on the device that emitted a high-pitched sound, the frequency making Azra open his mouth in a wordless cry of pain before he felt his body going numb. It seemed like the high frequency from the device was capable of causing paralysis. Ophelia watched him with a vindictive smile playing about her lips, before she reached up to tug out her earplugs, kneeling down beside Azra and tilting her head to the side.

“No one steals from my family and gets away with it. You hear me? No one.”

The young woman’s voice was soft and full of venom. Azra was struck by a cold clutch of fear as he realised that he’d been right to assume he wasn’t getting out of this situation alive. Ophelia pushed herself to her feet and drew a gun from her belt, flicking off the safety and pointing it directly at Azra’s head. She pulled the trigger with cold eyes and no hesitation.


	2. Game Plan

**Warnings: violence**

Ophelia Stane glanced expectantly at her companions as she finished detailing her latest scheme. She was usually the organisation behind their operations, as she had some important connections. Of course, the Stryke brothers had no idea she was Ezekiel’s daughter – she went by Marian James, an amalgamation of her middle name and her late mum’s maiden name. She cared about her boys, but she also knew that in criminal networks, people were self-serving. One small push would be all it took for them to use her as ransom against her dad.

“So this should be fairly easy,” Jordan drawled from where he was sprawled on the couch. The oldest of the Serpent Squad at 27, Jordan was what most girls would consider attractive. Tall and broad-shouldered with dark hair and a goatee, he was definitely the more laidback of the Stryke brothers.

“Don’t get cocky,” Leopold warned from where he leaned against the wall, fingers fishing deep in a packet of chips. He was a lot smaller and slighter than his brother, only a few months older than Ophelia as well as barely taller than her.

Jordan raised an eyebrow. “I’m not.”

“I’ve got a meeting set up with Stane.” Ophelia tossed her hair back. “We’ll be fine.”

“Delivering the weapons to HYDRA won’t be hard,” Jordan mused. It wasn’t the first time that the Serpent Squad had dealt with the organisation. Ophelia’s connections ensured they didn’t result to petty theft, and only made bargains with some of the most powerful people. It meant they didn’t come cheap, which was how they managed to rent such a nice apartment in a place like Washington, DC.

“You’re gonna jinx it,” Leopold complained.

The deal was a simple one. Ezekiel was heavily involved in weapons and arms development, and he needed to sell those weapons to someone. The Serpent Squad had done arms dealing before, and they’d done work for Ezekiel before. Being the middle man in his deal with HYDRA meant secrecy, but also a good pay rate.

“Anyway, I hear Stane has a vendetta against Stark.” Ophelia didn’t bring up the fact that she’d heard this from his own mouth. After the death of her grandfather Obadiah – which of course the media had kept very hush-hush – Ezekiel had had it out for Tony. Apparently, they hadn’t gotten on as kids either. “Maybe, if we play our cards right, he’ll send us to bring him down.”

“You’re good at talking to him,” Jordan stated, “Maybe you could convince him.”

“I’m good at talking to most people.” Ophelia smirked, reclining on the opposite couch. “Consider it a talent.”

“Yep.” Jordan’s gaze raked over her appreciatively, although it wasn’t something that Ophelia wasn’t used to. The two were lovers, after all – much to the annoyance of Leopold, who piped up from his corner.

“Dude. I’m trying to eat chips here.”

Jordan twisted around to look at him. “Then leave.”

Leopold muttered something under his breath as he left the lounge room, crumpled packet of chips in hand. Ophelia eased herself up off the couch, tying her hair back in a ponytail. She knew that Leopold would quit sulking in a few hours and be fine. He was probably just frustrated that the other two-thirds of the Serpent Squad were getting it on.

“Meeting’s set for the end of the week.”

“What are we doing until then?” Jordan asked, getting up as well. She was always surprised that such a big guy could move so quietly and gracefully, but she shouldn’t be. Jordan had taught her everything she knew about fighting – although maybe that wasn’t true, because Leopold had taught her some tricks to utilise speed and agility over strength.

She shrugged. “Entertaining ourselves as best we can.”

“Well, we can definitely have some fun.” Jordan strode over and hooked his arms around Ophelia’s waist. She tilted her head to the side and watched him with amusement. He kissed her and she responded enthusiastically, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. Jordan wrapped his arms around her more tightly, tugging her closer against him. His lips trailed down her neck, eliciting a soft gasp from Ophelia.

“We can take this to my room,” he suggested. It was probably a wise suggestion – Leopold would lose it completely if he found the pair of them going at it on the couch.

She grinned. “I like that idea.”

* * *

_ “Olivia!” Elizabeth Andrews’ voice carried throughout the small house as she stood at the bottom of the stairs. “You’re going to be late!” _

_ “Coming!” Olivia called back to her mother as she hastily pulled her jacket tightly around her and grabbed her bag, racing down the stairs. _

_ As she reached the bottom of the stairs her mother fixed her hair before giving her a once over look. Upon deeming her presentable, Elizabeth moved out of her daughter’s way, the two exchanging goodbyes as Liv headed off to school. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist, grinning to herself as her feet pounded on the pavement. She wasn’t going to be late after all, which was always a bonus on the first day of school. _

_ As she rounded the corner into the school, she ran straight into the back of someone. The two of them slammed into the ground, both of the groaning in pain as they attempted to move to their feet. Liv could feel the sting on her palms and knees from where the concrete had bitten into her skin as she wiped the dirt from herself. She glanced at the person she had run into, helping them to their feet. _

_ “I’m sorry. I should’ve been looking where I was going.” She apologised, pushing her hair from her face. _

_ The boy glanced at her for a moment before slinging his bag back over his shoulder, his blue eyes wide. “It’s alright. Are you okay?” _

_ “I’m fine.” She assured him. The young boy had blonde hair and blue eyes, and couldn’t have been much different in age to her. “Did I hurt you?” _

_ “No, I’m okay.” He smiled, falling into step beside her as she continued on her way into the school. “I’m Steve, by the way. Steve Rogers.” _

_ “Olivia Andrews.” _

Liv raked her hair back as the memory flashed through her mind. She was remembering bits and pieces of things she thought she had long forgotten. It was a bittersweet feeling. The memories with Steve were good, and she missed when their lives were simpler. When they were just two kids from Brooklyn. Before the war, before HYDRA, before SHIELD. She flipped the bacon in the pan, humming to herself as she continued to think on her dream, not noticing as Steve walked into the kitchen, the smell of food having greeted him as he got out of the shower.

"Morning." He greeted her, opening the fridge and pulling out some orange juice. "What are you making?"

"Bacon and eggs.” Liv smiled over her shoulder at him, his voice bringing her from her thoughts. "How was your run?"

“It was good." He answered her as he poured them both a glass of juice, sitting down at the table and watching she dished up some plates, placing one down in front of him. "Thanks. How are you finding it all?"

Liv sighed heavily as she sat across from him, twirling the fork in her hand. "Overwhelming.'

"It takes a while." Steve could understand how she was feeling, and he was happy to help her. He was glad she was back, it gave him a sense of security to have one of his closest friends back, but he also felt for the woman. She’d been through a lot, like he had, and he knew it would be hard for her to adjust. "Figured out mobile phones yet?"

"Not yet." She laughed, shaking her head. The technology was one thing, but she was finding it hard to sort her own head. "Trying to figure out how to sleep first."

"What do you mean?" The two of them hadn’t really spoken about anything but light conversations on what was happening in the world, and how to function appliances she wasn’t used to.

"Just the dreams. It's making it hard to sleep." She sighed heavily, nibbling at a piece of bacon.

Steve nodded, reaching across and resting his hand over hers. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really." She shook her head, withdrawing her hand from his so she could continue to eat her food. Steve watched her as they ate in silence, and Liv could feel his worry and his eyes boring into her. "I'll be alright."

"Sure?" Steve watched as she got up and began to do the dishes. He finished his plate of food before getting up and walking over to her. He put his plate on the sink before wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close.

"I'm glad I still have you." She sighed into the embrace, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Any new memories?" Steve questioned, although he did not expect her to answer. She had been very quiet when it came to talking about her past. He wasn’t sure why, but he could only assume it was because it was painful for her. He was the only person left who she knew, and he could understand how hard it was to adjust to that.

Liv shrugged as she moved about the kitchen cleaning, raking a hand through her hair. "Nothing helpful. Only memories that make me miss my family more. I miss him."

Steve knew exactly who she was speaking of. She had been barely able to speak his name without choking on it, the memories haunting her. "Bucky? I miss him too."

"He'd be proud of you. I've seen the footage of you running around saving the world." She grinned, ruffling Steve’s hair. It was hair she’d recently run her fingers through many times, the soft strands almost calming against her fingers. She was glad she had Steve, but part of her also longed for the man she still loved with all of her heart. "We should go shopping."

Steve frowned at the change of subject, and knew he no doubt was not going to overly like it. "Shopping?"

"Yeah. I need new clothes." Liv had few clothes when she had moved into Steve’s, resulting in her having to wash every fourth or fifth day so she had clean ones daily, and it was beginning to get on her nerves.

Steve nodded, though unsure as to whether he wanted to be dragged into shopping with his best friend. Something told him that it was going to end in him either being embarrassed, bored, or both. "I guess we can go shopping."

Liv winked at him as she put the last of the clean dishes away, clearly pleased with herself. "I'll get dressed."

* * *

Ophelia waited patiently at the meeting spot, bag of weapons at her feet. She and the others were dressed in their full gear, helmets included. Part of what made the Serpent Squad so efficient was that no one knew who they really were. They all went by their codenames, used voice distorters. They took their anonymity seriously, although it amused Ophelia slightly. The mask of Cobra, over the mask of Marian James.

Jordan was whistling, the sound even more irritating than usual because of the distortion. Leopold was pacing. Of the trio, he was always the one most likely to be on edge. During the planning stages he was a brilliant asset, but despite he and Jordan having a far more detailed criminal history than Ophelia, she was usually more laidback than him on jobs.

“They’re late.”

“Relax,” Ophelia insisted. It was almost sunset, and they were in an abandoned warehouse that no one would bother checking out because of the contamination signs they’d posted all around the exterior. Leopold was in charge of setting up secure locations, but even when he knew it was, he was on edge.

“They’ll be here,” Jordan assured him.

Leopold turned to him, and Ophelia didn’t even need to see his face to know there was some sort of accusatory look there.

“You’re unusually cheerful today.”

Jordan shrugged, clicking the safety off his gun. “I’m in a good mood.”

“I wonder why…” Leopold muttered.

“How long?” Jordan asked when he noticed Ophelia looking at her phone. No new unread messages. They were late, more than twenty minutes late. It could just be HYDRA taking their sweet time, or it could be something else.

“I don’t know. I haven’t got any messages.” She noticed two figures headed down the narrow alleyway. The woman was unfamiliar, but there was only man who wore a uniform like that one, carried a shield like that one. “We’ve got company.”

Jordan tilted his head to the side as they approached, stepping into the warehouse. “Wow. Captain America.”

“Serpent Squad, right?”

Leopold wasn’t here to mess around. Taking out his metal whip – a weapon the Serpent Squad had worked on and designed themselves – he flicked a button so that sparks danced along it, before lashing at Rogers.

“Cobra, grab the package,” Jordan said, “We’ve got these two.”

Although Ophelia was usually the one who gave orders, she wasn’t questioning it this time. Grabbing up the bag, she slung it over her shoulder and sprinted out of the warehouse. Once she stepped into the alleyway, she staggered to a halt when that damn familiar shield struck the wall in front of her. Despite her limited moving space, Ophelia grabbed the strap of the bag and swung it around, catching Rogers in the torso and making him stumble. He responded by tackling her to the ground, and she groaned as her helmet ricocheted off the concrete.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Rogers said firmly.

She laughed. “That’s too bad, Captain.”

“Give me the weapons.”

Ophelia responded by reaching down to her sleeve and drawing out a small toxin-covered blade. Another thing their little group were good at – creating different kinds of toxins and paralytics to put on their weapons. Stabbing him in the arm, she used the momentary distraction to shove him off. Scrambling to her feet, she hoisted up the bag and was headed down the alleyway again before Rogers was up.

Slipping around the corner, Ophelia unlocked the getaway car with the stolen numberplate that she and the boys had brought to the job. They’d hitch a ride home later, or she could come back and get them when the coast was clear. Getting the weapons away was her main priority. Tossing the bag into the back seat, Ophelia had started up the engine and slammed the door shut before she’d even buckled in.

Putting her foot to the accelerator, she roared off down the street, watching with a smug smile in the rear-vision mirror as Rogers got there to realise he was too late. It wasn’t every day that you could say you’d bested Captain America. Reaching down for her phone, she texted the boys to let them know the weapons were secure. She’d wait for a response before she decided her next move, but right now the best option was to lay low.

* * *

"Hello, boys." Liv grinned at the two remaining members of the Squad as Steve chased after the one with the package. She could feel the familiar tingle of adrenalin beginning to stir in her veins, a weird sensation in her mind. She had forgotten what it was like to fight, and part of her wasn’t sure she wanted to again.

Eel spun around, lashing his whip towards the woman, who nimbly rolled out of the way. Liv pulled a small knife from her boot, hurling it into the boy’s shoulder. It wasn’t their aim to kill, they were there to capture and apprehend the weapons that were being sold. It was a mantra she had to continue in her mind, battling against the habits instilled in her by HYDRA.

Viper pulled his gun, shooting at her as she was focused on Eel. Liv rolled out of the way, kicking Viper in the face and sending him reeling backwards as he clutched his nose. Eel used the opportunity to swipe her feet from under her. Liv rolled to the side as he lashed at her with his whip again, pushing herself to her feet and throwing Viper into Eel. Viper glimpsed her gun as she drew it, grabbing Eel and dragging him off, the bullets Liv fired at them hitting support beams either side of them as they ran.

"I'll kill that bitch." Liv heard Eel growl.

"She's strong for a chick." Viper responded.

Eel glanced around, clearly looking for their other companion. "Speaking of, where's Cobra?"

"Ran off with the weapons." Viper informed him.

"Any message to say if they're safe?"

Liv could see the glare of Viper’s phone as he checked it. "Not yet.'

"Come on boys. Come play." Liv called out.

Eel was poised to attack again. "She wants to play, huh."

"Cobra got out. Let's go." Viper told him, watching as Eel used his opportunity well to fire a toxin dart into Liv’s neck as she was distracted by the car that was speeding off, before the two boys ran off to the other car they had hidden.

Liv pulled the dart from her neck, examining it before looking up at Steve who was moving unsteadily towards her. She ran over to him, slinging one of his arms around her neck. "You okay?"

“Can't move my arm, legs are starting to go numb too." Steve told her as he leant against her heavily, finding it harder and harder to put one foot in front of the other. Liv dragged him back to the car, shoving him into the passenger seat.

"We need to get you seen to."

"Small guy got away. With the weapons." He informed her as she got in the driver’s side, starting the car up.

"We can find them again.’

* * *

“We got the weapons,” Jordan crowed over a slice of Hawaiian pizza, “And we defeated Captain America.”

Ophelia didn’t share his enthusiasm. She didn’t think it was that simple. She paced the lounge room as the boys picked over their pizzas, smug in their success. She didn’t think now was a good time to get cocky. Leopold was quieter than Jordan, and he hadn’t looked at Ophelia once.

“We still have to get those weapons to HYDRA,” Ophelia reminded Jordan, “I’ll arrange another meeting.”

“Yeah?” Leopold’s eyes flashed and he was on his feet in an instant, moving in front of Ophelia and blocking her path as she moved to the bench for her phone.

Jordan frowned. “Leo.”

“What?” Leopold tossed a glare at his brother. “You have to admit, it’s a big coincidence. Marian arranges a meeting with HYDRA, they’re running late, next minute Captain America and some chick rock up.”

“Careful.” Ophelia’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve been getting us meetings for over a year now.”

“Can you set up another one?” Jordan asked, clearly seeking to diffuse the sudden tension that had erupted. Leopold took another moment to step aside, letting Ophelia pass. She was troubled by his sudden suspicion of her, but reminded herself that she had done nothing wrong.

“I can, but we will need to be careful.” Ophelia walked over and unzipped the bag they’d acquired. She went through the bag of weapons, rifling through their haul. “There’s some neat stuff. Too bad it isn’t for us.”

Jordan strode over to peer over her shoulder. “Sweet.”

“When would we be meeting with HYDRA?” Leopold asked, his tone indicating his impatience. His arms were folded over his chest and his brow furrowed. The events of the day had made him uneasy.

“We need to give it a week at least,” Ophelia insisted. She knew it was a wait, but also knew that it was better to give it some time rather than risk being pursued by Rogers again.

“What?” Leopold didn’t sound impressed.

“So it’s not obvious,” Jordan pointed out. Ophelia was glad that one of them got it. Usually Leopold was smarter than this, but she guessed that almost being caught by someone like Rogers had him skittish – and eager to be rid of the weapons that they’d acquired.

She nodded decisively. “Exactly.”

Leopold threw up his hands and went back to his pizza. Ophelia exchanged a look with Jordan. They both knew that Leopold could get in this kind of mood from time to time, and it was best just to let him stew over things until he wasn’t sour anymore. For now, Ophelia had to organise a game plan.


	3. Where There's Smoke

**Warnings: none**

“Dad.” Ophelia smiled as Ezekiel Stane opened the door to his mansion. He did not appear shocked to see her, yet neither did he seem pleased. He simply opened the door wider and stepped back to let her inside. Casting her eyes around the mansion, it still felt odd to her that she’d called this place home in the not too distant past. Her world was very different now, although she had made amends with Ezekiel over their past arguments.

“Cassio in?” she asked. Whatever differences she’d had with Ezekiel, she held a strong and protective love for her little brother. She had ensured that despite the massive falling out that had led to her leaving the family home at the age of twenty, Cassio made his own choices regarding his relationship with Ezekiel.

“Not at the moment,” Ezekiel replied, following his daughter as she made a beeline for the kitchen. She should have guessed as much, although her calendar didn’t even have Cassio’s school timetable and term schedules written on it. Ophelia immediately got to fixing herself a coke and rum, causing her dad to raise his eyebrows.

“It’s 10am.”

She pouted. “Why are you ruining my fun?”

“How’s the little team?” Ezekiel inquired, although she knew his interest was personal despite his light tone. Ophelia and Ezekiel’s relationship was more about business transactions these day, rather than a typical father-daughter bond. She had to say that she preferred it, particularly as it meant doing things on her own terms. She shuddered at the memory of the things her dad had convinced her to do to obtain information for him in the past.

“There was a problem delivering the weapons,” she admitted, although there was no doubt in her mind that Ezekiel had already been made aware of the situation. He was, after all, the seller. “It’s okay. Wasn’t traced back to you.”

He nodded slowly. “Good.”

“The boys still don’t know who I am.” Ophelia didn’t really know why she was admitting that to her dad. Part of her felt guilty – she’d built up a strong bond with the Stryke brothers over the past few years, and they’d been open and honest with her. It left a bad taste in her mouth that she was still lying to them, but how would they react to her being the spoilt daughter of a millionaire?

“Are you planning on telling them?” Ezekiel asked, examining her closely as she took another swig of her drink.

Ophelia hesitated. “Is that a smart idea?”

He shrugged. “Perhaps one day.”

“I just worry they might use me if they knew.” Ophelia leaned against the bench and took a sip of her drink, examining her drink. Her eyes flicked to Ezekiel, who hadn’t cracked a smile once since her arrival. “You seem thrilled to see me.”

“Of course I’m happy to see you.” The words were spoken quickly, and she couldn’t help but doubt whether they were true. She decided to change the subject, knowing Ezekiel wasn’t the sort to openly discuss his emotions.

“How’s business?”

“Same as always.” He raised his eyebrows pointedly. “Would be better if your assignment had gone to plan.”

“We’ll get there,” Ophelia assured him, flashing a grin, “We’re better than your usual grunts.”

“Get back out there, then.” Sometimes, she couldn’t tell whether Ezekiel was joking or serious. He had his arms folded over his chest and there wasn’t a smile in sight, but his eyes were gleaming. Ophelia couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Love you too, Dad,” she said dryly.

Ezekiel kissed her cheek. “You’re still my little girl.”

She knew very well what he was doing. Ezekiel was not affectionate, and as a kid, Ophelia had strived to make him proud, to earn his admiration. Now she realised he’d been dangling it over her the whole time, rewarding her with affection when she did something that pleased him. It was manipulative as hell, and one of the reasons she’d left in the first place.

“Text me if Cassio comes home for the holidays,” Ophelia said, putting down the now empty glass. She’d barely been at her dad’s half an hour, yet she was reminded of why she’d hated living in the place. “I’d like to see the kid.”

* * *

**_June 8, 1940_ **

_ Olivia wasn’t sure what to say or do as she stood beside Steve, clad in a black dress. Her hand had found his long ago, her thumb tracing a comforting pattern on his hand. It was a cold day, with no sign of blue in the sky, but it was yet to start raining. Liv hoped it wouldn’t, knowing that it would only serve to make the day seem worse than it already was for everyone standing around as Sarah Roger’s body was buried beside her husbands. _

_ Steve’s mother had been unwell for a time with tuberculosis, and it had only been days since the disease had finally taken her life. Liv had been with Steve as much as she could during the time, but she knew that Bucky was with him when she wasn’t. She felt bad that she hadn’t been able to see him as much as she would’ve liked during the length of his mother’s illness, but she knew he understood. _

_ Once the service was over, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. He was barely taller than her, something that had always amused her previously, but now she thought it made him seem even more vulnerable. She held him close as he cried into her shoulder, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Her fingers stroked his hair gently, her eyes looking past him to meet the bright blue eyes of his best friend. _

_ Steve drew away from her, wiping his eyes on his sleeves. “I’m sorry.” _

_ “Why’re you sorry? It’s fine for you to be upset, Steve.” She assured him, her hand resting on his shoulder as she squeezed it in a comforting gesture. _

_ Bucky clapped his hand onto Steve’s other shoulder, steering him away from the two graves of his parents. “Come on. We should go.” _

_ The three of them walked in silence back to one of the cars that would return them to Steve’s house. Bucky sat in the passenger seat, with the other two in the back. The car ride was a silent one, with all of them mulling over the events of the day. Liv had no intention of heading home anytime soon, she wanted to spend time with Steve. She kept her hand connected with his the entirety of the car ride; clambering out along with the boys and into the warmer than average summer air. _

_ “You don’t have to stay here, Steve. You’re welcome at my place anytime.” Bucky told him as they stood on Steve’s doorstep. _

_ Steve sighed heavily, glancing between his two friends. “I’m fine where I am. You should both just go home. It’s been a long day.” _

_ “We can come inside and keep you company.” Liv countered, watching as he pulled out his house key, swinging the front door open. _

_ “Really, guys. I’m fine.” Steve assured them before stepping inside. _

_ “Well, make sure to let us know if you need anything. I’m with you ‘till the end of the line, pal.” Bucky smiled, wanting Steve to know he didn’t have to be alone in his grieving process. _

_ Steve said one last goodbye to the two of them before shutting the door, leaving his two best friends, who were complete strangers to each other, standing on his front porch. Liv raked a hand through her hair, unable to stop herself from heaving a sigh. Bucky glanced at her before walking down the steps and onto the footpath, looking around the small street. _

_ “He talks about you a lot. I wish we could’ve met under better circumstances.” Bucky told Liv as she followed him off of the steps. The comment took her slightly off guard, a flush creeping up her cheeks. Of course Steve would’ve spoken about her to Bucky, but she hadn’t expected him to ever take interest in meeting her. _

_ “He speaks very highly of you as well.” She told him, a small smile forming on her lips. _

_ Bucky turned to face her, crossing his arms over his chest. “I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the next few weeks. It’d be nice to get to know you a little better.” _

_ “I couldn’t agree more.” She nodded, knowing that both of them would need to be there to support Steve through the grieving process. _

Liv paused at the base of the stairs that led to Steve’s apartment. Her mind was still reeling from the dreams she’d been having all night. She was grateful that her memories were returning to her, but some of them were more painful than others, and some she simply wished would stay forgotten. She jogged up the stairs before wandering through the entry of the apartment to the kitchen, noting that Steve was talking to a red headed woman that she vaguely remembered from her short stay at the SHIELD facility.

"Hey." Liv greeted them as she got herself a glass of water, leaning against the kitchen bench. "Natasha, right?"

Natasha smiled at her, and Liv was surprised at how warm her greeting was. "That's me."

"You were there when Steve found me." Liv had heard Steve mention her name previously, stating that they had been going through HYDRA facilities when they had found her cryogenic chamber. It had been close to two months ago, and Liv was still finding it hard to adjust, but Steve had helped with it.

Steve smiled, handing her a cup of coffee as she finished her water, knowing that would be the next thing she went for. "Well, her memory is getting better."

"That's good. Anything new to report?" Natasha glanced at her expectantly, and Liv knew straight away what information she wanted from her.

Liv shrugged, sipping the coffee in her hand. "No useful information on HYDRA, if that's what you want.”

Natasha nodded, running her finger around the edge of her mug, glancing at Steve as he began to speak again. "Another week or two and she should be good to start her training with us."

"Heard you had a mission." Natasha knew Fury had sent them to do something small, something he normally wouldn’t have sent Steve to do. But they had needed to test Liv in the field, and knew Steve was the best person to keep her under control. Liv put her empty mug in the sink, glancing over her shoulder at Natasha.

"Yeah. We failed it."

"Kids had weapons with toxins in them. Wasn't expecting it." Steve elaborated, shivering at the memory of the toxin coursing through him. “One was referred to as Cobra."

"I vaguely recognise the name." Natasha informed the two of them, likely having read a file on a group of mercenaries with one of them going under the code name Cobra. "Serpent Squad. They're a trio of mercenaries."

Liv sat across from Natasha as Steve moved to take the seat beside her, relaxing back in his chair. "The one with the electric whips shot me. The small one stabbed him."

"Any news on their location?” Steve questioned Natasha as he noted the recognition in her eyes as she took in the details that Liv was explaining.

"Not yet, but we know who two of them are." Natasha told them, grabbing her phone from her pocket so she could pull up the electronic files she had been working to create on the boys. "Jordan and Leopold Stryke. Jordan did 18 months for armed robbery. Leopold's his younger brother. Now they do arms deals and mercenary work. We don't know who the third one is, yet. I can transfer you the data on the Stryke brothers."

Steve nodded, looking over at Liv. "We'll bring them in."

Natasha glanced between the two. The two of them were good enough to handle the threat, but she was still reluctant to put Liv into the field. They hadn’t had enough time to observe her mental state. She just hoped that Steve could keep his friend in line.

"Good. They've been a thorn in our side for a while."

* * *

Ophelia knew that the Serpent Squad were lucky to join an opportunity like the one they’d been presented with – meeting with Alexander Pierce, the head of HYDRA. Not that SHIELD was aware of that, she mused. Nonetheless, who she was meeting didn’t matter. She kept her full Serpent attire on, including her helmet.

After their previous attempt at making the deal had gone awry, Ophelia had pooled together her resources and ended up landing them a meeting with Pierce himself. The boys had been impressed, and she’d tried to play it cool. She had to act like it had been hard work to acquire the deal, or they’d question why and how she had the influence to get them a meeting with Pierce.

“We have the weapons.” It was Jordan who spoke, he and Leopold stepping forward to place the bag on the ground.

“Excellent job.” Pierce examined the bag, hungrily eyeing the weapons there. HYDRA sure did love their big guns. “I did want to send one of my men to get them, but after last time…I thought I should collect in person. I also have a job for you.”

“Yes?” Ophelia took care to keep her tone level, although she was brimming with excitement. A job from the head of HYDRA himself? Even she hadn’t figured something like this might happen, and so she waited in great anticipation for Pierce’s answer.

“I need you to go after Steve Rogers.”

“Captain America?” Ophelia asked in disbelief, although they all knew that was the Steve Rogers he was referring to. What had he done to piss HYDRA off? She was thrilled that Pierce saw capability in them, thought that they were good enough to take on the super soldier. After all, they had managed to evade him once before.

“He’s a fugitive.” Pierce seemed cagey, unwilling to hand out too many details.

“How’d that happen?” Jordan questioned, and Ophelia could have slapped him around the back of the head. The circumstances surrounding Steve’s current status didn’t matter. All that mattered was acquiring him for HYDRA. Asking questions wasn’t a smart move around a prospective employer.

“That’s classified.” Pierce looked between them, but his gaze rested on the silent Ophelia, as if recognising that she was the one in charge. “There’s good money in this for you. We want him alive.”

“We’ll do it,” Ophelia responded quickly, giving her companions no time to object. If they thought it over, Pierce would just send someone else – and they’d miss out on what would probably be the biggest pay of their lives.

“We will?” Leopold seemed uncertain, but her curt nod cut off any objection. “Alright.”

“We getting any help?” Jordan asked, which surprised her. They had never needed help in the past, they’d done just fine. Did the idea of going after Rogers spook him?

Ophelia shrugged nonchalantly. “We’ve got this.”

“I mean weapon upgrades.”

“You can use the weapons you brought in.” Pierce gestured to the bag.

Ophelia couldn’t see Jordan’s face, but she knew he was grinning. “Excellent.”

* * *

Liv raked her hair from her face as she got out of the car. It had been a few days since everything had gone to hell at the SHIELD headquarters, and they’d been forced to go into hiding as a result. She wasn’t sure why they were after Steve, but his apartment had been a mess when she’d gone to find him.

It had taken her time to track him without the resources of SHIELD, but she knew him well enough, and knew he had few friends. She had seen him with Sam, at least that’s what she thought his name was, and figured that his place would be a safe haven momentarily.

She walked up to the door, knocking on it sharply. She was greeted moments later, and could tell that the man in front of her was on high alert, the arm behind his back no doubt holding a weapon.

"Can I help you?"

"Is Steve Rogers here?" Liv questioned, looking past him in an attempt to see into his house, but he had positioned himself to prevent her from doing so.

"Depends on who's asking." He answered her, his eyes moving up and down her, assessing what kind of a threat she posed.

"Olivia Andrews. I'm an old friend." She introduced herself, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Sam?" Liv could hear the questioning tone in Steve’s voice from where he had called out to Sam. Sam glanced over his shoulder, shifting slightly and allowing Liv to see Steve sitting at a table looking a little worse for wear. He wasn’t alone – Natasha was with him.

"Someone called Olivia."

"She's fine." Steve told him. Sam moved out of the doorway so she could step through, before closing the door behind her. Liv moved straight towards him, examining him and deeming that both he and Natasha were okay before she spoke to them.

"We need to move.'

“What's the issue?" Tash frowned. She assumed that the other woman was able to cover her tracks well enough to not have been followed there, so she was unsure as to why she was in such a rush. Surely no one would be thinking to find them there.

"Serpent Squad has been employed to bring you in." Liv informed the two of them, watching as they exchanged looks with each other. She’d watched the meeting between the gang and Pierce, realising that Pierce was the reason Steve was on the run, but gaining little more information about the Serpent Squad.

"The Serpent what?" Sam questioned from behind, clearly not having been completely debriefed on everything that had been going on.

Liv didn’t get the chance to answer as a series of explosives detonated around the side wall, blowing a large hole in it. Steve instinctively grabbed his shield, putting it in front of himself and Natasha as Liv grabbed Sam to pull him from the rubble that flew towards them.

They barely had a moment to recover from the blast before someone smashed through one of the windows, and another figure crashed into Sam, sending them both sprawling to the floor.

Liv moved to help Sam, but was stopped short as she was slammed to the side with an electric whip, the shock radiating through her. Their attackers were immediately recognisable as the Serpent Squad members.

"Surprise, bitch."

Liv turned towards the young man brandishing the whip, recalling that his name was Leopold based on the description and photos she had seen in his file. She drew her knife before lunging at him, ducking out of the way as he lashed the whip at her again. Her heel connected with the hand holding the whip, causing him to drop it as he staggered back, drawing the gun at his side. Liv ducked as he fired at her, not having time to aim properly as she slammed him into the wall, the gun clattering to the floor.

"You missed this time."

There was a loud crashing as Steve went through the window with the smallest of the Serpent Squad – Cobra, the one whose real identity they didn’t know. The shattered glass tinkled down on the floor, but neither of the pair resurfaced.

She glanced at the corner of her eye as she saw Sam battling with Jordan, who had attempted to inject him with a toxin in a syringe. Sam had managed to overpower him and knock him to the ground, holding him down there despite the fact that Jordan was easily over six feet and not a small guy.

"Stay down."

Liv groaned as Leopold’s knee connected with her stomach, and he used her momentary distraction to gain the upper hand on her. She stepped back before slashing at him, her knife going through his shoulder and sinking into the wall behind him. Leopold cried out as she ripped the knife free, throwing him to the ground. The helmet was knocked off, revealing the impish face of a young man in his early twenties.

She could feel something click over in her mind as she pinned him to the ground. He made a feeble attempt to grab his whip, but her foot was on his wrist before he could quite grab it. She looked over at Sam and Jordan as they began fighting again, Jordan having managed to escape Sam’s grip.

She knew if she could eliminate Leopold as a threat, then she could help Sam do the same with Jordan. Steve and Tash were no doubt handling the other one, and while Sam was trained, he wasn’t as well trained as her and the other two.

Pulling the gun from the holster on her hip, she levelled it with Leopold’s head before taking the safety off. She squared her shoulders as she looked down at the boy who was struggling beneath her, his eyes widening with fear as he took in the gun. A fleeting thought of a time when she would have put the gun down went through her mind, but the years of training with HYDRA pushed the thought of mercy down as she pulled the trigger.

The sound of the gunshot ripped through the room, and Leopold crumpled, blood spilling out from his corpse.

"Leo!" Jordan screamed from where he was battling Sam, staggering over towards his brother’s lifeless body. Liv stepped towards Jordan as he moved towards his brother. Before she could get close to him she felt the cool metal of Steve’s shield against her skin as he slammed into her, the two of them slamming into a wall with a resounding crack.

She knew why he’d done it – she had barely reacted to shooting Leopold, and he was worried that she would do the same with Jordan.

"Tash!" Steve shouted as he noticed the third Squad member climb back through the window the two of them had gone out of not long ago. Cobra grabbed the whip and turned to Jordan who was now sobbing by his brother’s side.

Natasha was by his side in an instant, prying the gun from Liv as she slowly pushed herself to her feet, shaking her head as she was dazed from the impact of Steve slamming her into the wall.

Steve moved behind Cobra as he brandished the whip, knocking him out before he could make an attack. Jordan used them knocking his companion unconscious as a prime moment to bolt, glancing over his shoulder as they surrounded the body of his brother and friend.

"Do we wanna check who the mighty Cobra is?" Natasha questioned, moving to grab the helmet from Cobra and pull it from their face.

Sam frowned as they were met with the face of a young woman in her early twenties. It wasn’t at all what any of them had been expecting.

"It's...a girl?"

Natasha glanced to Steve who looked as equally confused as the rest of them. "What do we do with her?"

"Bring her with us. She can answer some questions.” He informed her before reaching down to pick Cobra up.

* * *

Ophelia was feeling a lot of things when everything swam back into consciousness. There was a heaviness inside her, a weight at the knowledge that Leopold was dead. She didn’t know what had happened to Jordan, but realised he hadn’t been captured like her. She chose to stick with frustration at her capture, because if she chose grief, it would overwhelm her. Leopold had been her best friend, almost like a brother. Now he was gone.

She was being held in what appeared to be some kind of van, and she was definitely not alone. Yet the people present weren’t ones she wanted to see. She wanted the Serpent Squad, she wanted familiarity. Instead she was left with confusion and a hollowness at the realisation that the Serpent Squad no longer existed.

“Stane’s daughter, huh.” A redheaded woman that Ophelia vaguely recognised sat down in front of her. Natasha Romanov, that was her name. One of the Avengers. Despite the fact that Ophelia recognised her cover and false identity had been blown, she gave it one last try.

“My name is Marian James.”

Natasha raised her eyebrows. “You’re lying.”

Ophelia sighed dramatically. “Okay, great job, you got me. I’m Ophelia Stane.”

“Why were you with the Serpents?” Natasha demanded. Great, so she was here to be interrogated. She didn’t think that SHIELD would torture her, but she also knew so much that she didn’t think Pierce would let her live – if he was informed that the young woman was Cobra.

She shrugged. “Because I wanted to be.”

“What did you do for them?” Natasha persisted.

“Arranged meetings.” Ophelia kept her answers vague. She was going to incriminate herself as little as possible. She didn’t know what SHIELD already knew, and what she might accidentally expose on her own.

“For weapons deals?”

“Something like that.” She grinned, tilting her head to the side. In reality she was panicking inside, trying to find a way out of this situation, but they had to believe she was cool and collected. “Gonna rat me out to my daddy?”

“No.” Natasha folded her arms. “I’m sure he knows what you were doing.”

“He has no idea.” Ophelia might be in trouble, but she wasn' dragging her dad down with her. “I’m just the rebellious kid. Funny, it’s usually the youngest.”

“Well, you’re stuck with us for now.” Natasha got to her feet, examining the prisoner. “Hungry?”

“I’d kill for a burger.” Ophelia tried to keep her tone casual, but she was still reeling from the loss of Leopold. She didn’t think they had gotten Jordan, but did that mean he was dead as well? The thought made her feel sick. “Where’s my buddy Viper?”

“We lost him. Eel is dead.”

“Figured that much,” Ophelia muttered, although she was pleased that Jordan at least had gotten away. She hoped he would come back for her, but knew it was a stupid thought. He would save his own skin. Any of them, when put in the same situation. Jordan wouldn’t risk his life to rescue her from SHIELD.

“I’ll go get some food.” It was a black guy Ophelia didn’t know, who got to his feet and stepped out of the van. “I’m not a wanted fugitive.”

“He’s gonna get you,” Ophelia taunted, turning her attention back on her interrogator. In truth she knew she was on her own, but she wasn’t the sort of person to admit defeat so easily.

“He’s the least of our problems right now,” Natasha said, her expression darkening.

“SHIELD crumbling around you?” Ophelia asked. She’d heard rumours – that SHIELD was on the verge of collapse, that one small push would be all it took. Certainly if she’d been sent after Steve Rogers, things were beginning to fall apart.

“What do you know?” Steve approached, a frown crossing his face as he shifted across the van to examine her.

Ophelia tossed back her dark hair. “More about HYDRA.”

“HYDRA doesn’t exist anymore,” Natasha insisted, causing Ophelia to laugh. HYDRA had just been hiding in plain sight, but it didn’t surprise her that SHIELD hadn’t figured it out yet. She might be their prisoner, yet there was a lot she knew more about than they did.

“What about HYDRA?” It was the brunette woman who had been with Steve when they’d gone to their first attempt at the arms deal – Olivia. The woman’s eyes narrowed and pain seared through Ophelia’s body, causing her to feel immense pain. Nonetheless, Ophelia remained determined not to give any answers that might betray Jordan or her dad. The pain stung, but not as much as Leopold’s swift execution.

“Go ahead.” Ophelia’s tone was defiant. “Kill me like you killed Leopold.”

“Your friend ran away.” Natasha was impatient, glaring at the younger woman. “You don’t have anyone to get you out of this. It’s better if you talk.”

“Did some digging, after you and the Captain attacked us.” Ophelia fixed her gaze on Liv. “Found out some really interesting things.”

Natasha’s expression was troubled. “What things?”

“Dunno, why don’t you ask Olivia here?” Ophelia’s tone was pleasant with an undercurrent of menace. She knew that the woman had abilities, abilities that she likely hadn’t shared with the others. Having such easy access to information really was a blessing when it came to getting to know her enemy.

“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Liv responded quickly, shaking her head vigorously.

Ophelia smirked. “Then looks like our discussion is over.”


	4. Hail HYDRA

**Warnings: none**

April 2012

_ It hadn’t been long since Ophelia had left the Stane household to fend for herself. She’d started renting an apartment in Washington, DC. Although she was on her own, she was surviving so far. Yet Ophelia knew the next step was the toughest of all: getting a job. She’d never been employed, so she knew finding a position that paid the sort of money she’d be looking for would be seriously difficult. _

_ She hummed under her breath as she stocked up on her groceries, putting a carton of milk into the plastic basket. The store bell tinkled, and she glanced over her shoulder as two young men sauntered in like they owned the place. The younger one was probably her age, slim and intense-looking. The older one was probably in his mid-twenties, with a taller and broader build. They both shared the same dark eyes and if she had to guess, she’d probably say they were related. _

_ The younger guy took out a gun, pointing it in the face of the store clerk behind the counter. Across the store, a woman screamed. The older guy pointed his gun at her, making sure that the other occupants of the store got down on the ground. Ophelia ducked out of sight before they could see her, heart hammering in her chest. _

_ “Hand over the money,” the younger man commanded. She had to wonder why they didn’t wear masks. This didn’t seem very smart of them – they could easily be recognised, especially if the store had camera footage. _

_ The guy behind the counter started taking cash out of the register and sliding it across to the younger man. The older one came up and started putting it into a sack. There was something about the pair that intrigued Ophelia, although she couldn’t have said what. They were thugs, what did she have to admire about them? The younger man’s grip on the gun was firm. His hand wasn’t shaking at all. They’d clearly done this before. _

_ Ophelia crept closer with her basket of goods, eyes widening in alarm when the clerk reached under the counter. Was there a panic button there? A gun? Whatever it was, it meant things were about to get a whole lot uglier. She told herself it was to diffuse the situation, as she ran over and hit the clerk hard in the head with her large carton of milk. He collapsed and the two men stared at Ophelia for a moment. _

_ “Let’s go!” The older one urged, bolting out of the store with the younger one hot on his heels. Forsaking her groceries for a newfound curiosity, Ophelia followed them. It was the danger that thrilled her, she realised. She didn’t want some cosy office job. She wanted the adrenaline rush, and these men could help her get that. _

_ “Wait!” _

_ The older one frowned at her. “Thanks for helping us, but we gotta go.” _

_ “Um, I saved your lives.” Ophelia planted her hands on her hips. She knew she was being awfully sassy with these two, who had guns and had used them. Yet she sensed a way into the world her dad was already a part of. He was higher up the rungs, pulling the strings in the criminal underworld, but Ophelia had never been afraid to get her hands dirty. _

_ The younger one’s bright blue eyes narrowed. “Little girl, we don’t need a tagalong.” _

_ “Excuse me, I’m twenty,” Ophelia snapped. _

_ “We can’t afford dead weight,” the older one said, adding insult to injury. _

_ “I’m not dead weight,” she protested, before realising that she would have to go a step further, “I have money.” _

_ That seemed to intrigue them. The younger one glanced at the older one, who shrugged his shoulders. _

_ “Your call, Leo.” _

_ “I dunno, man.” The younger one – Leo – seemed indecisive. _

_ “I just proved I’m useful,” Ophelia insisted, “I also have connections. You boys could go bigger than convenience store robberies.” _

_ She hoped the idea of more money and bigger rewards would appeal to them. The two exchanged a look, before the older one shook his head. _

_ “Nah, too risky.” _

_ She scoffed. “So you’re scared.” _

_ Leo rose to the bait. “No way.” _

_ “If you have so much money, why do you want to steal things?” The older one asked, tilting his head to the side and examining her closely. It was a valid question, but she didn’t think she owed them an answer. _

_ Ophelia narrowed her eyes. “Doesn’t concern you.” _

_ “Can always give her a trial run, Jordan,” Leo suggested, before assessing Ophelia. “What’s your name?” _

_ Suddenly, the idea of giving them her real name – a well-known name, a name that would connect her to Ezekiel and the Stane family – wasn’t a good idea. She immediately decided on a different one. _

_ “Marian James.” _

_ Jordan sighed heavily. “Fine. Better come with us, then.” _

Ophelia stared out the window and forced her mind away from ruminations about the Serpent Squad. She quickly blinked away the tears welling in her eyes, threatening to blur her vision. She’d be damned if she would let these people – her captors – see her cry. She turned her attention to the front of the car, right as the window opposite her smashed. Someone reached into the car and grabbed Agent Sitwell, another of her captors’ acquisitions who had been sitting on Sam’s other side, and threw him in the path of an oncoming truck.

“What the actual fuck?!” Ophelia exclaimed, edging as far away as she possibly could.

In the middle row of the SUV, Liv drew her gun and began shooting through the roof at their attacker. Steve slammed his foot on the brake and a dark-haired man with a mask on his face and a metal arm went hurtling onto the road in front of them. Realising they were more distracted with this threat than her, Ophelia took the golden opportunity to wrench open the car door and roll out onto the road.

“Not so fast.” Liv lunged after her.

Ophelia sneered. “It’s like you want another taste of toxin or something.”

The metal-armed guy strutted over, toting his gun, and Liv shoved Ophelia out of the way and began firing at him. It was soon clear that he wasn’t alone – gunfire was coming in from several directions. Ophelia knew it couldn’t be Jordan, so assumed it was HYDRA. She also had the nasty feeling they wouldn’t care if she was caught in the crossfire, considering how much she knew about them.

Steve rolled across the bitumen and covered Ophelia with his shield, which she thought was oddly gentlemanly considering the fact she hadn’t thought they’d care if she got shot. However, she was also annoyed at being treated like she couldn’t defend herself. She pushed Steve away, rising to her feet as he sprinted over to deal with some of their attackers.

The metal-armed guy strode over to Ophelia. There was nothing human at all about his cold gaze. From watching him fight, she could recognise a trained killer when she saw one. She also knew that considering his strength, she stood absolutely no chance against him. Ophelia slipped out a toxic dart and prepared to fight, even if she had the feeling that it wasn’t going to go well.

“Oh shit,” she whispered, but Liv slammed into the metal-armed guy from the side, the two of them hitting the road hard. The man recovered first, catching Liv by the throat and lifting her off her feet before throwing her to the ground. Steve was on him in a moment, and Ophelia ducked behind a parked car.

This was her chance to escape. The others were all occupied, but just like the incident during which she had first met the Stryke brothers, she was drawn to the violence rather than repelled by it. She knew that she was out of her depth, but that wasn’t about to make her stop. Steve flipped and kicked the metal-armed guy, whose mask came off and clattered to the road. When he looked up, Steve tensed, and there was no doubt in Ophelia’s mind that he recognised this man.

“Bucky?” he asked, sounding completely shocked.

“Who the hell is Bucky?” The other man responded, his brow furrowing slightly. Before Steve could comment further, Sam swooped in wearing his admittedly very cool wingsuit, kicking Bucky in the face and making him stagger backwards. However, as Sam landed and Natasha staggered over with a hand held to her side – she’d probably been shot during the fight – several cars screeched onto the road and surrounded them. Ophelia groaned as she realised she’d lost her opportunity to run.

“On your knees!” The leader of the group, a rugged-looking guy in his late thirties or early forties, immediately headed over to force Steve down. Ophelia scowled as someone wrenched her arms behind her back and cuffed her wrists. After he was done subduing Steve, the leader marched over to her and grinned.

“Miss Stane.” He looked her over. “Pierce told me about you. A spoilt little rich girl with a penchant for violence, just like her daddy. How quaint.”

How had Pierce known? But of course he had known. She had been a fool to ever think otherwise. Ezekiel had HYDRA connections, and no doubt Pierce had put together the pieces of the puzzle and worked out that Cobra was in fact Ezekiel’s own daughter. Ophelia clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes, pissed that her secret was yet again thrown out into the open.

Ophelia and Liv were herded into a separate prison van from the others, which she had to say she didn’t appreciate. She had the feeling that she and Liv were not going to be best buddies, and the older woman likely felt the same way.

* * *

_ Olivia ran a hand through her hair as she waited for the kettle to boil, tapping her fingers against the bench as she listened to Steve and Bucky talk in the next room. She placed the tea on a tray after the water was boiled and wandered into the room, setting it down on the table in front of them. She brushed her hair from her face as she poured the tea, handing a cup each to the boys before taking one for herself and sitting down beside Steve. _

_ “Thanks.” Bucky smiled, sipping the tea, leaning back in his seat. _

_ “You’re welcome.” Liv smiled at him before turning to Steve, raising an eyebrow at him. “Heard you got in another fight, Steve.”  _

_ Steve cleared his throat, raking a hand through his hair as he glanced between his best friends. “I might have...” _

_ “He’s alright.” Bucky assured her, having made sure that Steve was okay when he’d first found him earlier on. _

_ Liv nodded, sipping her tea and letting out a heavy sigh. Steve wasn’t going to stop getting in fights any time soon, but at least he had someone to always drag him out of it. “He’s lucky to have you.” _

_ “Yeah he is.” Bucky grinned, putting his empty tea cup down on the table beside Liv’s and Steve’s. _

_ Steve rolled his eyes at the comment, glancing at Liv as she got to her feet, grabbing their cups and walking back into the kitchen. Bucky trailed after her, leaving Steve sitting on his own in the lounge room. He had noticed his two friends becoming close, and was curious to see where things would go with the two of them. He thought it was cute, but also didn’t know if it was the best idea in the world. _

_ “We should go dancing.” Liv suggested to Bucky as she cleaned the cups, glancing over his shoulder at Steve as he slowly wandered to the kitchen entryway. _

_ Bucky nodded, leaning against the bench. “When?” _

_ Liv considered it for a moment, going over in her head what she had planned for the next couple of days. “Maybe tomorrow night?” _

_ Bucky helped her to put away the dishes as she cleaned them, glancing over at Steve who was still watching them. “That sounds good.” _

_ “Stevie, you up for that?” Liv asked, drying her hands on a tea towel as she finished cleaning up the kitchen. _

_ “Sure.” Steve smiled. He wasn’t a huge fan of dancing, but he knew that the other two were just trying to make him feel included. _

_ “It’ll be fun.” Bucky pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest. _

_ Liv nodded her head in agreement before kissing his cheek, prompting Steve to shake his head. “It will.” _

"Olivia Andrews." Alexander Pierce greeted Liv as he strode into the room they were holding her in, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his suit. "I believe you were injected with the same serum as Rogers."

Liv observed him for a moment before correcting him. "Similar. An attempt to replicate it.'

"And you did some work for HYDRA." Alexander had read over her file, not that there was a whole lot for him to read. Most of the information on her had been lost, but from what he had gathered she was one of their top interrogators. "You'd be an asset to us."

"You think I'll help you?" Liv raised an eyebrow at his comment. She had been working closely with Steve for months, so she didn’t understand why Pierce thought she would turn her back on her friend to do work for him.

"Does Barnes seem like he chose this willingly?" He questioned, a tight smile forming across his features, though Liv could tell there was no warmth or happiness to it. "You have a choice. For now."

"They tried controlling me. Wiping my mind didn't work." She reminded him, knowing already that they had recorded it in her file. They’d tried before, but had not succeeded in being able to wipe her entire memory. She was missing pieces, but not in comparison to what Bucky was missing. They hadn’t been able to ever completely control her. "You can't take emotions away from an empath."

Pierce raised an eyebrow at her. "Emotions, no. Memories, yes. Modern technology is a wonderful thing."

"I'm not useful to you. I’m too out of practice." It had been years since she had used her abilities to interrogate someone, and her people skills had greatly suffered while she had been in cryo.

"I'll be the judge of that." He responded, sitting down in a chair across from her. She had proven to be somewhat useful, and didn’t lack combat abilities based on her fight with their asset. Even if she had lost. "You also brought Ophelia back to us. But she does seem to know a lot about you. My fault, I'll admit."

"You know more, no doubt." She rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.

Alexander nodded in confirmation. "Indeed I do. I've done quite a bit of research."

"I'm not that interesting." She shrugged, picking at the hem of her shirt as she glanced around the small room.

Alexander observed her for a moment. She would be difficult to break in at first, but he also knew that she would be a good asset to HYDRA. She had been in the past, and could be again with the right training and conditioning. "Think about your options carefully."

Liv sigh heavily, raking a hand through her hair. "And what options do I have?"

"Join of your own will, or you can join us how Barnes did." He pointed out to her, getting to his feet.

Liv clenched her jaw, shaking her head. She had worked hard to put her life with HYDRA behind her, but she also figured that perhaps she could use the opportunity to her advantage. "One condition.'

"What condition is that?" He was curious now. He hadn’t been expecting her to offer up a condition of her own in payment of her services, but he was willing to listen to what she had to say.

Liv looked up at him, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I want to see Sergeant Barnes."

* * *

The guy who’d mocked Ophelia and called her a spoilt little rich girl was called Brock Rumlow, and he’d been the one assigned to watch her while Pierce spoke to Liv. Initially she took to sitting in silence in her cell, before she realised that she could have a lot more fun if she annoyed Rumlow. Not only that, but if she got him angry enough, she might even be able to get the upper hand and escape.

“What’s up?”

Rumlow glanced across at her. “I’m making sure you don’t escape.”

“Oh. Cool.” Ophelia raised her eyebrows and leaned back. “Hope you’re having fun. Heard from my mate?”

She referenced Jordan as casually as possible, as if the fact that he’d fled didn’t matter to her. In reality, it hurt to know how suddenly and brutally they’d been separated. She didn’t know if she would ever see him again. Ophelia tried not to dwell on the fact that she’d lost two of the most important people to her in one single moment.

“No.”

“I want to make a call.” Ophelia got to her feet. She had no doubt what Rumlow would say, but it was worth a try anyway.

“No.”

“I didn’t ask.” Ophelia folded her arms over her chest. “I want to call my dad.”

“No,” Rumlow repeated, getting to his feet. She could tell that he was getting pissed off with her stubbornness. “Now, sit down and shut up.”

“Or what?” Ophelia taunted. “I don’t take orders from grunts.”

Rumlow’s eyes sparked with anger as he wrenched open the door to her cell, striding over and hitting her across the face. Ophelia staggered at the force of the blow, but silently congratulated herself on getting him in here with her. Step one of her plan to escape this place before they decided she was better off dead.

“Sit down.”

It would have been easier to just do as she was told, but when had she ever chosen to do things the easy way? Ophelia punched him in the face, making him stumble slightly. When he regained balance, he grabbed her arm and twisted, causing her to hiss.

“Easy, mate. Why am I here?”

Rumlow kept a firm grip on her arm. “Pierce doesn’t want you running around with the information you have.”

She raised her eyebrows. “So you’re gonna kill me.”

“He hasn’t decided.”

Ophelia tilted her head to the side. “What would you do if it was up to you?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Kill you.”

“Go ahead,” she challenged, knowing that he would face serious consequences if anything happened to her. Ezekiel Stane was not the sort of man people wanted to piss off. “Do it. See where that gets you with my dad.”

Rumlow shrugged. “He’s not a concern to me.”

Ophelia scoffed. “That’s because you’re too stupid to realise my value.”

“You’re not his only kid,” he reminded her, causing her blood to run cold. Her hands clenched into fists at the mention of her little brother. No one  _ ever _ threatened him in her presence and got away with it. Cassio was a kid, and uninvolved in the criminal activities of his dad and sister.

“Meaning? Is that a threat?” she demanded, eyes narrowing dangerously. “Are you threatening Cassio?”

“Am I?”

Ophelia wrenched her arm from his grasp and punched him again, feeling the satisfying crunch of bone beneath her knuckles. Rumlow staggered back, blood pouring from his nose, and she felt vicious satisfaction at the knowledge that she’d broken something. The shock on his face at the force of her blow quickly morphed into rage.

“Stupid bitch!”

“You want to speak about my brother again, you fucking punk?” Ophelia hissed, her fury at the idea of Cassio being dragged into this outweighing any fear she might have of this man.

Rumlow grabbed her by the arms and slammed her into the wall, making her wince as pain reverberated up her back. Despite the blood that stained his face, his dark eyes glittered with malice and a wicked smile curved the corners of his lips. It made her afraid, but not for her own life.

“Oh, he will pay for that.”

That was much more of a direct threat, and Ophelia struggled and tried to hit him again but he wrenched her arms above her head, pinning her wrists. As much as she attempted to tug free, the simple reality was that Rumlow was much stronger than her. She hated him for that.

“I can see why Captain Rogers likes you.”

“Excuse me?” she spat. She didn’t think Steve Rogers liked her in the slightest, so she really had no clue where Rumlow was getting this assessment from. She’d encountered him exactly twice and tried to take him down both times. Not precisely a qualification for Captain America’s admiration.

Rumlow’s grin broadened. “He likes having you around coz you’ve got sass.”

She gritted her teeth. “I think you’re full of shit.”

Rumlow tossed her unceremoniously to the ground, stepping back out of her holding cell. She cursed herself for coming so close, yet still being so far. All she needed was to get the better of Rumlow, grab his gun and she’d have her ticket to freedom. If she couldn’t – well, she was about to find out which Pierce feared more, Ezekiel’s rage or the idea that Ophelia could spill HYDRA secrets. Unfortunately, she thought she knew the answer.


End file.
